All About Royal Families

20 August 2003 marks the birth of Gabriel Baudouin Marie Prince of Belgium. This took place at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht.  Family Prince Gabriel is the eldest son and second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. He has an elder sister Elisabeth, a younger brother Emmanuel and a younger sister Eléonore. He was christened at Ciergnon Castle, one of the royal family’s summer residences, on 25 October 2003 by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. His godparents are his maternal uncle Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 1985); and his paternal second cousin, Baroness Maria Christina von Freyberg-Eisenberg. Prince Gabriel is a member of the royal family of Belgium, founded by King Leopold I (born as a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) Prince Gabriel  => King Philippe  =>King Albert II =>King Leopold III  => King Albert I => Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders => King Leopold I Names King Philippe sta...

15 August marks the B-Day of Anne, Princess Royal.To celebrate her B-Day here are some lovely pictures of her on several occasions.  Queen Elisabeth, Princess Anne and Prince Charles and then Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1953) In June 1970, Prince Charles and Princess Anne visited the White House and the Nixon family. Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Anne is 17th in the line of succession to the British throne and has been Princess Royal since 1987. Born at Clarence House, Anne was educated at Benenden School and began undertaking royal duties upon adulthood. She became a respected equestrian, winning one gold medal in 1971 and two silver medals in 1975 at the European Eventing Championships. In 1976, she became the first member of the British royal family to have competed in the Olympic Games. Th...

Alchemy is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and proto scientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Middle East, and Europe.  The goals of alchemy included the creation of a divine body and immortality. The philosopher's stone of European alchemists can be compared to the Grand Elixir of Immortality sought by Chinese alchemists.  Nicolas Flamel is a well-known alchemist, but a good example of pseudepigraphy, the practice of giving your works the name of someone else, usually more famous.Although the historical Flamel existed, the writings and legends assigned to him only appeared in 1612. Flamel was not a religious scholar as were many of his predecessors, and his entire interest in the subject revolved around the pursuit of the philosopher's stone. I learned more about Alchemy by watching the first Harry Potter movie: The Philosopher's stone.  However which royals did like Alchemy? Who hired an alche...

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (now the Prince of Wales), recently stated that walking helped a lot to maintain his mental health. Prince William about walking: "Walking has been a feature of my life during the good times and the bad, come rain or shine. For me, it provides an opportunity to clear my mind and gain some perspective. It's a key part of how I manage my mental health. It can be a very sociable exercise or a moment of complete calm and isolation. In the hope of inspiring a few other people to get active and take some extra time for their own mental health – I wanted to share a few of my stories and favourite songs with you in an episode of Time to Walk." But who are/were other royals who liked to walk? Check it in this new hobby post.  Austria Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) loved to make long walks.  Belgium King Baudouin of Belgium liked walking during his talks with people. He asked author Henri Van Daele: "Shall we walk a bit around?" Qu...

History is the study of past events  You love it or you hate it: history. This made me think: which royals know/knew their history very well? Austria Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) had a special interest in history, philosophy and literature.  Belgium King Albert I of Belgium liked royal history very much. His wife  Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (a niece of Sisi)  was a keen historian too. For her, the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamun was postponed. Her name- sake Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium is now (2021) studying History & Politics in Oxford University (United Kingdom). France Queen Marie-Antoinette of France liked to read history. She saw the  first launch of a Montgofière, a hot air balloon. Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland (1805-1810) decorated his palaces with topics from the national history and he even wrote history books, just as his son Napoleon III. Napoleon III studied sciences, history and economics.  Lucien Bonaparte had a...

Hadrian was born on 24 January 76, probably in Italy (near modern Seville) in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. He was named Publius Aelius Hadrianus after his father. His father was a senator of praetorian rank.  Hadrian's mother was Domitia Paulina, daughter of a distinguished Hispano-Roman senatorial family from Gades (Cádiz).   Childhood Hadrian's father was thus a senator and would have spent much of his time in  Rome. Trajan was Hadrian's father's first cousin.  In 86, Hadrian's parents died. He was then only ten years old. He and his sister became wards of Trajan. Hadrian enjoyed hunting. When he was 14, Trajan ordered him to Rome and arranged his further education to become a young Roman aristocrat. Hadrian had an enthusiasm for Greek literature and  culture, which gave him the nickname: Graeculus ("Greekling"). Emperor Hadrian @ Louvre in France Source picture: Wikipedia  Love and Marriage Hadrian married Trajan's seventeen or eighteen-y...

Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural habitat and stay by means of a trained bird or prey.  The practice of hunting with a conditioned falconry bird also is called "hawking".  Falconry is an art. It requires long hours, constant devotion, finesse, subtlety and skill.  The falconer must train a bird of prey to fly free, hunt for a human being and then  accept a return to captivity.  Falconry was just not a hobby. It was a lifestyle. Falconers must devote time to their birds each and every day. It must be no surprise that  falconry has a long and royal history just as horse riding. In many countries owning a falcon was and is a status symbol.  Some history of Falconry Medieval sports were chances for men to practice their mental and physical skills. However falconry also was practiced by women.  Royals and Falconry Bahrain Emir Isa bin Salman al Khalifa of Bahrain and his family owned the Sulman Falcon Centre. The royal family can...